Chapter 10. Didn’t see her all day
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"Yesterday, the young lady Havilt went to see the princess of Izef."
Princess Brill, Princess of Alta, whispered softly to Princess Charlotte, Princess of Yoner. Immediately, Princess Charlotte's eyes sparkled.
Princess Brill was pleased with her reaction to her words.
"Now if only she would focus on the Princess of Izef instead of me."
As she whispered her hopeful words, Princess Brill's eyes glowed strangely as she scanned Charlotte's features. She was beautiful, blond, and stunningly dazzled. No wonder she couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis. Princess Charlotte had been noticed by young lady Havilt from the beginning. Because of her appearance.
Princess Brill didn’t know if she should like it or not. It was a very funny situation for Brill, who was even less beautiful than Charlotte.
"It will happen. Didn't you see the last time, how rude Princess of Izef was?"
"Isn't that right?"
Charlotte’s voice brightened at Brill's words.
"If not, we can make it so."
At Brill’s lowered tone, Charlotte leaned closer to her.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means that between the two of us, there's nothing we can't do, and I'm willing to help."
The slight smile on her face made Princess Brill seem more than a little trustworthy to Princess Charlotte. She had been sent here as a tribute, lonely and alone, and to find such a kindred spirit was a stroke of luck.
Young lady of Havilt was a force to be reckoned with. As the next Empress, with the support of the Emperor and empress dowager, she could come and go from the palace at will.
"I hope you will listen to me for the sake of your future.”
The meaning of the young lady’s words to the two princesses was not light.
"If your goal is to become empress, you should be even closer to me.”
The implication was that if she became empress, they would have to do as they were told, and she nailed it with a smirk. Despite her polite demeanor, her words were full of the nuances of trying to control the two princesses.
For a mere noblewoman, no matter how high in rank, to speak to the two princesses as if they were peasants showed how powerful Corneline was. The two princesses were helpless against the future empress.
The two princesses were frustrated by her constant visits to the palace and her manipulative pressures under the guise of advice. Princess Charlotte was especially unhappy.
"It won't be easy even if I become empress. If she becomes empress, this horrible life will continue."
Charlotte began to giggle and whimper, as if she were convinced that she would be empress. Brill realized that this was a ridiculous situation. But she was proud of herself for still being able to smile softly.
"Let's deal with the problem at hand now, not later."
Charlotte nodded in admiration at Brill's words. To have such a mature and wise princess as a friend was so different from her sisters back home. She longed for a sister like this. She wanted to show that she had faith in Brill, someone she didn't want to lose.
"I'm keeping my mouth shut, too. The secret."
At her words, she glanced around, and when she saw no one else, she squeezed her hand reassuringly.
The camaraderie between them was palpable as their hands clasped together.
***
Corneline’s footsteps echoed down the long, long hallway, one after the other.
She went to the ducal residence to see her father, and a new princess had arrived. Not that it matters much now.
Father was still the same. A father who would throw away his daughter for power.
A few months ago, when she was summoned by His Majesty the Emperor to leave, her conversation with her father had been terrible.
"Do it in moderation and don't come back."
Everyone knew that Her Majesty the Empress dowager was inviting the most prestigious young women to the palace under the name of party to explore who she would choose as the next Empress. They were all turned away after a short time. Now it was her turn. Her older sister was ill, so it took a while for the second daughter to get her turn.
Her father, a supporter of Prince Roman, told her to behave like the others and return.
"Father will do as he pleases. I'll focus on the current king rather than the next one, who has no promise."
"You mean you're going to be empress."
"Yes."
Her will was as firm as anyone's.
"And if Prince Roman becomes king?"
The anger in her father's voice didn't faze Corneline.
"Then even I, the Empress, will not escape death, ah, thanks to you."
The father was not worried that his daughter would be killed for doing the wrong thing. She knew her father better than anyone.
He was worried that she would get in the way of his rise to power. He's worried about himself. She was fed up with her father, who was worried that she would be disliked by Prince Roman if she approached the current king.
"If I become empress I don't think you'll lose anything."
Her father, furious, glared at her with a fierce glare. He was furious that she had seen through him. When the king was replaced, he would be in a position of great power, and if not, his daughter would be empress. He has one foot in both worlds, so what's not to like? Even if the king was replaced and she was killed, he wouldn't care. He would only seek power for himself.
She focused on the now again.
Thud, thud, thud. She listened to the sound of her footsteps echoing through the halls of the palace, for she would walk these same halls as Empress one day. Ah, now that she thought about it, she didn't hear the voice of the new Princess of Izef.
She remembered that she didn't say a word to her yesterday. Well. Perhaps she would talk next time. The new princess was not important, so she didn’t want to waste time thinking about it.
She paused as she approached Mama's doorway. The corners of her mouth lifted gently, and she walked through the door the servants held open for her with a smile.
"Welcome home. Corneline."
She smiled a little wider as she slowly approached the waiting Empress Dowager, who greeted her as if she'd been expecting her.
His Majesty, who was often here when she stopped by to say hello at this hour, was busy today. It was a shame.
Oh well. There's tomorrow.
"Your Majesty, may I rub your hand?"
Corneline’s graceful, dainty manner as she gently approached the Empress Dowager, who was suffering from a sore finger, was so graceful that it was only natural that a satisfied smile grew on the old woman’s face as she watched.
***
Finding the study late at night, Kalos stood in the doorway for a moment, glancing around.
He just snorted. It was funny to see that no one was there, that the woman was not there.
Kalos took his usual seat. A cold chair with no warmth greeted him.
By this time of day, even his steel body was feeling a bit tired. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes tightly. The familiar smell of the study wafted to his nostrils.
He took a deep breath of the nostalgic air and slowly opened his eyes again. His eyes slowly traveled around the room.
It had been his father's study since he was a child. Memories of his father were everywhere.
He thought of him more and more today. The father he wanted to be like the most. The man he admired and respected despite being him, who died unjustly from Catherine's poison. Damn it.
His hands still shook at the thought of it. The flames of rage burned brightly in his eyes.
If Queen Catherine was in front of him, he wanted to twist her neck with his own two hands right now. His blood boiled with the desire to kill his enemy in the most horrible way possible.
Haa....
He began to take deep breaths again to cool his raging emotions.
He must. He would get this revenge. He would kill her in the most horrible way possible. It's already begun, now that he had her daughter as a pawn. That day would come.
With his emotions in order, Kalos left the study and headed for his bedroom.
He entered his bedroom later than he expected, perhaps because of his leisurely pace, and a crooked grin appeared on his face.
The curse of having to see her at least once a day was broken today. He hadn't seen her anywhere all day. How satisfying.
He laid his tired body down on the wide bed, not knowing when he would fall asleep. And then.
Something felt strangely uncomfortable. There was an off-kilter feeling, as if he hadn't done what he was supposed to do. It was a sneaking suspicion. Damn it.
He seriously need to think about whether or not the woman was a witch. One nasty, unpleasant thing after another.
He immediately pushed the uncomfortable thoughts away. Unhelpful, unhelpful thoughts.
He began to slowly quell the anger rising in him, as if it were a waste.
***
The next morning, after the meeting, Kalos entered his office and made his usual way to the window.
The usual dazzling view of the courtyard filled his vision.
There was nothing moving, and his brow furrowed slightly.
He slowly moved his gaze from one end of the courtyard to the other again, even though he had already scanned it.
His brow furrowed a little more.
***
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